1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to barbell equipment, and in particular, it relates to providing, in connection with such equipment, means for restraining, in a novel way and to a novel extent, the weights on a barbell against the falling from the ends thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is, of course, nothing new about the broad concept of providing, in the vicinities of the ends of a barbell, a means which has the effect of preventing the weights of the barbell from falling from the ends thereof.
In the case of Olympic weight-lifting, the usual actual practice is not to provide any mechanical constraint; unless weight lifter desires to use a device to keep weights on any remedial action in the direction of preventing any of the weights from leaving its end of the barbell is done by hand, by an attentive person, a spotter, who observes the weight-lifting operation.
In the case of non-Olympic weightlifting, it be taken as being already known that there may be used such known means as a collar and a setscrew which passes therethrough and bears upon the barbell or an internally threaded cap which can be screwed onto a matching externally threaded boss.
It has been found that there are purposes for which it is desirable to provide restraining means that will operate, and for the above purpose, but especially in what may be termed "a semi-secure manner", such that the means serves in most circumstances securely to prevent a weight from falling from its end of a barbell, while at the same time, the means is of such a nature that the structure possesses a capability of causing a weight to be released by tilting barbell to one side thereby causing the weights to push the locks off, even without the intervention of any attendant or spotter, i.e., while the person holding the barbell is keeping both of his hands thereon. The occasion for desiring to obtain an action of this sort sometimes arises, for example, while the bodybuilder is lying on his back, having taken the loaded barbell from a support rack located above his chest or neck. The occasion arises in which he is neither able to restore the barbell to its rack without help nor able to set it down without injuring himself. For the purpose of dealing with this situation, no attendant being at hand, it is desirable to have a "semi-secure" weight-retaining means, one which will yieldingly permit a weight to leave one end of the bar, without requiring the bodybuilder or an attendant to intervene and loosen something, while providing ordinarily enough support to insure that the weight remains in its place.
The known prior-art structures or means for keeping the weights on the bar do not provide any such effect. Such effect is not obtained with an end cap screwed to the bar (see U.S. Pat. No. 1,536,048) or with a collar that has a setscrew passing through it which bears on the bar.